Air Liquide Electronics Thinks Outside the Fab for Copper Cleaning Applications

Houston & Dallas, TX - Air Liquide Electronics U.S. LP announces the recent commissioning of a new Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) applications and development laboratory near its Dallas, Texas headquarters. The new facility, a multi-million dollar investment by the company, focuses on the CuClean family of post CMP copper clean chemistries, as well as other innovative CMP solutions.

Chemical Mechanical Planarization is a semiconductor manufacturing process that uses slurries consisting of abrasive particles and ancillary chemicals to clean and condition semiconductor wafers during the fabrication of integrated circuits. Post CMP cleaning is a subsequent step that removes organic and particulate contaminants that remain on the wafer surface from the CMP process.

The new facility features an industry-standard 200 mm integrated polisher/cleaner tool and associated surface and chemical metrology equipment. The CMP platform is equipped with multiple distribution lines for slurries and cleaning chemistries used to assist in evaluating materials and consumables as well as customer processes. These tools and the expert capabilities available at the facility give customers access to engineered solutions to their CMP needs without significant impact to ongoing operations, enabling them to test real time solutions and benefit more quickly from potential cost savings. The facility offers Air Liquide Electronics opportunities to work mutually with customers to develop valuable manufacturing products and solutions. Said Rich Jahr, president of Air Liquide Electronics U.S. LP, "A fundamental feature of this new facility is our ability to offer custom engineered clean formulations to the market faster, helping customers take immediate advantage of performance and cost efficiencies. Customers now have access to engineered solutions outside of their fab, while keeping their tools and manufacturing operations in full production."

The tools and capabilities at this new facility have been assembled to provide credible data on an industry standard platform, replicate customers' current and next generation CMP fab processes and optimize customers' clean processes. The facility also leverages the leading capabilities of Air Liquide's Balazs Analytical Services division to improve performance verification of customer products.

SOURCE: Air Liquide Electronics